The Clippers' Blake Griffin (left) is fouled by Stephen Curry on a second-half drive.

Photo: Danny Moloshok, Associated Press

The Clippers' Blake Griffin (left) is fouled by Stephen Curry on a...

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The Los Angeles Clippers' Glen Davis has a hard time trying to reign in a rebound during the first half against the Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. (Michael Robinson Chavez/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

Photo: Michael Robinson Chavez, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

The Los Angeles Clippers' Glen Davis has a hard time trying to...

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Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry controls the ball while Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin, left, defends and Warriors' David Lee, rear right, and Clippers' Chris Paul, fright front, fight for position during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, March 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Photo: Danny Moloshok, Associated Press

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry controls the ball while Los...

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Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin, top, looks down after drawing a foul from Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry, on floor, while Warriors' Andre Iguodala comes to help Curry up during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, March 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Photo: Danny Moloshok, Associated Press

Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin, top, looks down after drawing...

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The Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin (32) is fouled by the Golden State Warriors' Jermaine O'Neal during the first half at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. (Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/MCT)

Photo: Kevin Sullivan, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

The Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin (32) is fouled by the...

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The Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin is fouled by the Golden State Warriors' Andrew Bogut (12) during the first half at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. (Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/MCT)

About 30 minutes after the Warriors' 111-98 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday night at the Staples Center, it felt as if the game was still going strong.

Even if the only battles that remained were of the jawing variety.

After another Pacific Division showdown between the teams was played with playoff intensity and filled with thunderous blows and counterpunches, the Warriors weren't quite done with the action.

"I wouldn't call it intensity. I would say we played as physically as they do, and theatrics take place after that," Warriors centerAndrew Bogut said. "We get hit, they get hit and that's just the way the basketball game goes. There are a lot of things that go on in between that are different than a regular basketball game."

Warriors backup big man Jermaine O'Neal and Clippers center DeAndre Jordan were each whistled for technical fouls for jawing at their opponents during stoppages.

Clippers forward Blake Griffin was in the middle of a number of dustups - a shove of Bogut, a couple of tackles and tumbles with Draymond Green and a huge collision with Stephen Curry. Griffin even went toe-to-toe with O'Neal in the postgame hallway, but no blows were exchanged; the heated words ended with a handshake.

Warriors forward David Lee said it's no coincidence that Griffin was at the center of much of the extracurricular physicality.

"It's no coincidence is an understatement," Lee said. "I've got no other comment on that."

The Warriors weren't able to make a statement in the closing minutes either. The game included 21 lead changes and 12 ties, and the Warriors trailed 89-84 with 8:27 remaining.

The Warriors committed four of their 12 turnovers and allowed the Clippers to score eight of their 19 second-chance points in the final stretch to pull away.

"We played a pretty solid game all the way through, but we just ... didn't make the right plays down the stretch," Warriors point guard Stephen Curry said. "They crash the glass, they're quick jumpers and they rely on that. If we see them down the road, it's something we have to address."

The Warriors were led by 26 points from shooting guard Klay Thompson, whose remarkable streak of 214 consecutive games played will end Friday as he's flying to the Bahamas to attend the funeral of his paternal grandfather. Thompson, who also was the primary defender in limiting Chris Paul to 5-of-15 shooting, plans to rejoin the team Sunday at Portland.

Lee had 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Andre Iguodala and Curry each added 13 points, but the Warriors' string of solid bench play ended. A night after scoring a season-high 59 points and outproducing the starters, the Warriors' bench had 20 points on 3-of-25 shooting.

The Warriors (41-25) had won five straight and 10 of 12 since the All-Star break, but they dropped to five games back of the Clippers (46-20), who have won nine in a row. Los Angeles got 20 points and 15 rebounds from Griffin, 18 points from Danny Granger and 16 points and 12 assists from Paul.

"I'm proud - proud of the way we fought, proud of the way guys handled themselves," Griffin said.

Curry knocked down his 200th three-pointer of the season - making him the sixth player in history to accomplish the feat in consecutive years.

He made his second three-pointer to cap an 8-3 run that gave the Warriors a 76-69 lead with 5:23 remaining in the third quarter. But the Clippers closed the quarter on a 15-3 run and took an 84-79 lead into the fourth quarter after a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Paul.